The safehouse was cold, hidden in the outskirts of the city, tucked between a broken-down chapel and a forgotten train yard. The walls were lined with outdated tech and emergency rations, but Levi's fingers flew over the keys like the system was state-of-the-art.
"Signal's clear," he said. "You have fifteen minutes before they trace it."
Seraphina stood before the camera no makeup, no ballgown, no mask. Just a girl in a black hoodie and fire in her eyes.
"Go," Levi whispered.
She took a breath.
Then the screen went live.
All across the nation, feeds interrupted. Tablets buzzed. Phones vibrated in trembling hands. The princess of Crestwood, thought to be missing or worse, stared back at the world.
"You've been lied to," she began, voice steady. "By Crestwood. By the council. By people who said they were protecting us."
She held up a file. Pages of evidence flicked behind her in the livestream corruption, disappearances, the real story of Lila Carter.
"They told me I was special. That I was born to be adored," Seraphina said. "But love isn't loyalty when it's bought in fear."
The camera zoomed slightly unintentional, raw.
"I don't want to be your princess anymore," she said. "I want to be the reason none of this ever happens again."
The screen cut out. A message followed in bold red font:
THE TRUTH HAS BEEN SET FREE. CHOOSE WHAT YOU'LL DO WITH IT.
Silence.
And then the world erupted.
Social media exploded with hashtags. #PrincessNoMore. #JusticeForLila. #BurnCrestwoodDown.
Levi turned to her, a flicker of admiration behind his exhaustion. "That was insane."
Jaxon stepped from the shadows, arms crossed. "And reckless."
She didn't flinch. "But necessary."
He met her gaze. "And what happens now?"
"We wait," she said. "And we stay alive."
The air buzzed with sirens in the distance. Too soon.
Levi checked the monitors. "They've already found us. East side."
"Exit plan?" Jaxon asked, already moving.
"There's a drainage tunnel under the floorboards," Seraphina said, grabbing the last of the files.
The three of them dropped into the dark, the sound of boots above them pounding like a war drum.
As they crawled through the damp tunnel, the silence wasn't awkward it was loaded.
Finally, Jaxon spoke. "I never wanted you to get hurt."
Seraphina didn't stop. "You did what you thought would keep me safe. That's not love. That's fear dressed in a suit."
"Then what's love?" he asked, softly.
She paused.
"Someone who lets me burn the whole system down, and still stands beside me," she said. "Even when I'm nothing like the girl they fell for."
Behind her, Levi's flashlight caught on her face sharp, fierce, alive.
"Good," Jaxon muttered. "Then we're all in trouble."
They emerged into the night. The city was alive with unrest protests, rallies, fireworks, rage.
And in the center of it all, Seraphina Vale stood tall.
Not a puppet.
Not a princess.
Just a girl with a voice loud enough to start a revolution.